Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine Book

Are the qualities of wine objective or subjective.? What terms and language should we use to describe how wines taste? Does knowing anything about wine make it more enjoyable to drink? These are just some of the issues that this book covers in the form of a series of essays.

I particularly like the first chapter or essay by Roger Scruton on intoxication. He looks at the intoxication produced by different substances but he believes that the way we normally drink wine imposes a regime of moderation and therefore avoids some of the downsides of intoxication. Rather, whilst eating and whilst with the company of others it makes us more gregarious. And he quotes a proverb that tells us there is true in wine. The true lies not in what the drinker perceives but in what with loosened tongue and easier manners he reveals.


The last chapter is in the form of an interview with a wine producer and his views on influence of the land, the commercialisation of wine and how a vineyard should be run. His view is that viticulture is more of an art than a commercial enterprise and that the best vineyards are not run just to make money.

Overall this book just made me feel better about drinking and appreciating wine. Like many people I have a vague dream about owning a vineyard in Burgundy or Chianti but as it is never going to happen I will have to be content with reading books like this.